• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
PantsDownApronsOn
  • About
  • Shop
  • Recipes
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Shop
  • Recipes
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Shop
    • Recipes
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Fermentation

    Sriracha Recipe | Homemade Thai Hot sauce

    Published: May 26, 2020 · Modified: Oct 18, 2021 by Charlé Visser · This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments · 1202 words. · About 7 minutes to read this article.

    jump to recipe

    Ever wondered how to make sriracha at home? This homemade Sriracha recipe will teach you just that. Fact is. Making sriracha is super easy and anyone can prepare sriracha with minimum effort and equipment.

    sriracha hot sauce in swing top bottles on grey background.

    What is it?

    Sriracha is a Lacto-fermented spicy condiment.

    Think ketchup. Asian ketchup.

    Spicy and made with chillies instead of tomatoes.

    I pour it over most things Asian and sometimes even European.

    Go ahead. Pour it over whatever tickles your fancy.

    Is it easy to make

    Ferment some chillies and garlic and you're done. The end. That's how simple this sriracha recipe is.

    Fermentation explained

    Fermentation is a process where food is turned from one form into another by means of microbes in order to make it more desirable.

    That is the shortest least scientific way to describe fermentation.

    We have gazillions of different microbes each doing their own thing. Some dangerous and some not. Some desirable and some not.

    Similar to humans in actual fact. Wouldn't you agree?

    The microbe we are interested in is Lactobacillus. Lactic acid-producing bacteria.

    In order to harness its beneficial effect, we need to provide it with a comfy safe home to live in where no dangerous bacteria will bother it.

    What does lactobacillus like?

    1. Salt
    2. Acid
    3. Lack of oxygen (anaraobic)

    That is a pretty easy environment to provide. We will look at how to do that in the steps to follow.

    Ingredients needed

    ingredients needed to make sriracha on marble background.
    • Chillies - Red spicy as you like. No blemished or rotten chillies.
    • Garlic - Only nice fresh REAL garlic. None of that Chinese easy-peel stuff, please. It looks like garlic but it tastes like none. Don't do it.
    • Salt - Non iodised natural sea salt is what I use. By that I mean I actually went and took the salt from a salt-pan in South Africa on the West Coast. I don't suggest you go through all that trouble. Just use nice clean natural salt.
    • Sugar - Just regular granulated sugar is good.
    • Vinegar - I use rice vinegar but you could go for apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar too.
    • Water - Clean drinkable water.

    Instructions

    We start by deciding how hot we want our sriracha sauce to be. In this recipe I used Jalapeños. The original uses Serrano chillies, which can be a lot hotter than the average jalapeños.

    Use whichever you like depending on how hot you like it and how easy it is for you to do handstands in the shower.

    Picture steps of written instructions.
    1. Make sure you have a clean glass jar with or without a lid. Next, you will wash your chillies and garlic under cold running water. Measure out all the ingredients you need.
    2. Remove the stalks from the chillies. Chop them up into smaller pieces. Seeds-and-all. Clean and chop the garlic finely.
    3. Place all the ingredients into a jug blender or container. Blend as smooth as you could get it.
    4. Pour the liquid into the glass jar where it will be fermenting. Next, we need to make sure the sauce is sealed off from the outside air.
    5. Place a piece of plastic wrap or steamed cabbage leaf directly onto the mix.
    6. Place a small weight on top of that to make sure it all stays submerged and the dry particles don't float to the top. Close the container with an airlock, lid or rubber glove with a small hole pricked in one of the fingers. This is to make sure no air comes in while gas can slowly escape.
    7. If you close it with a lid you will have to let out the air manually every few days or so. Also known as burping the ferment.
    8. If you have a vacuum machine at home. Vac Pac the mix in a double sealed bag. That's the way I do it in my professional kitchen. It's clean, easy and reliably keeps the air out. You also know how the ferment is progressing by looking at the bag inflating.
    9. Fermentation gives off gas, which brings us to the final step. Waiting and babysitting.
    10. Try and ferment at room temperature. About 21°C or 70°F . Colder and the ferment will take longer. Hotter and the ferment will take quicker. Too cold(below 10°C or 50°F and it will ferment forever(almost). Too hot, above 28°C or 82°F , fermentation will be too quick and produce unwanted flavours.

    Check your sriracha after 3 days. Taste it with a clean spoon. It should begin to sour. Let it ferment until you are happy with the sourness.

    Remember to burp(let out air) the container every few days if you are using a lid. We don't want chilli bombs.

    Food safety

    Make sure your hands, environment and utensils are thoroughly cleaned before you start doing this.

    We don't want nasty bacteria getting into the sauce and spoiling the ferment.

    Frequently asked questions

    Is sriracha vegan?

    Yes. No animal products are used and it's suitable for vegans and vegetarians alike.

    Is it gluten-free?

    Yes. No gluten is added or present when making it.

    Can I use it instead of Tabasco in a recipe?

    Although it won't have the barrel-aged complexity of tabasco it will still be a suitable substitute in most cases.

    Storage instructions

    When done fermenting pour into glass bottles.

    Close tightly and store in the fridge.

    Do not leave out at room temperature as it is an unpasteurised ferment and it will continue fermenting and cause bottles to explode if left to do so.

    Serving suggestions

    • Pork tenderloin
    • Massaman shrimp curry
    • Chicken fried rice
    • Beef adobo
    • Thai beef koftas

    Related recipes

    • Lacto Fermented Carrots Recipe
    • Fermented Strawberry Lemonade
    • How To Make Lacto Fermented Cabbage | Sauerkraut
    • Easy Lacto Fermented Cucumbers - Dill Pickles
    • Sourdough Bread Tutorial | No-Knead Recipe

    This site contains affiliate links. I may earn a tiny commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. By bookmarking these links you help support the upkeep of this site.

    If you found this post helpful or have learned something, comment, subscribe, and follow me on social platforms for more tasty recipes.

    Recipe

    sriracha hot sauce in swing top bottles on grey background.
    5 from 10 votes
    Pin Recipe Print

    Homemade Sriracha Sauce

    Easy homemade Sriracha sauce anyone can make at home. Pour this over your favourite dishes for a spicy kick or make an out of this world bloody mary by replacing the Tabasco with Sriracha.
    Author Charlé Visser
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Fermentation Time 10 days days
    Total Time 11 minutes minutes
    Servings 25 portions
    Course Condiments
    Cuisine Asian
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 1400 g (9 ⅓ cups) red chillies
    • 600 g (2 ½ cups) filtered water
    • 250 g (1 ¼ cups) granulated sugar
    • 100 g (¾ cups) garlic - chopped
    • 65 g (3 ⅗ tablespoon) sea salt - kosher
    • 50 g (3 ⅛ tablespoon) rice vinegar

    Instructions

    • Blend everything until smooth.
    • Ferment for about 10 days at room temperature or until you are happy with the sourness.
    • Blend once more and if you want to naturally stabilise the sriracha sauce like the original. Add a teaspoon or 2 grams of xanthan gum and blend once more.
    • Taste the sauce and if you want it to be more sweet, salty or sour make the adjustments accordingly by adding sugar, salt or vinegar. Everyone's ferments always turn out a bit different due to the natural process of wild fermentation.

    Notes

    • Play with chilli varieties as each one gives different results in heat and flavour.
    • You could also grill or smoke some of the chillies to give the sauce a smokey edge.
    • Store in the fridge for months, burping the bottles every now and then to let out gas that might build up while the sauce slowly continues to ferment. Can be frozen in plastic containers for longer and this also halts the fermentation completely.
    • If your home blender is weak like mine. The seeds won't blend. When done fermenting blend again and strain through a sieve reserving the pulp. Dry this pulp out and grind into a fine powder adding back into the sauce.
     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 100g Calories: 67kcal Carbohydrates: 16g Protein: 1g Fat: 1g Saturated Fat: 1g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 1g Sodium: 1015mg Potassium: 197mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 13g Vitamin A: 533IU Vitamin C: 82mg Calcium: 17mg Iron: 1mg
    Keywords:fermented pepper sauce, hot sauce, sriracha how to make
    Save RecipeSaved!
    Did you make this?Tag @pantsdownapronson or hashtag #pantsdownapronson so I can see your hot skills!

    More Fermentation recipes

    • Beef and pork jerky on a wooden board.
      Thai Beef And Pork Jerky (Video)
    • droëwors close up
      Homemade South African Droëwors - Beef, Venison And Pork (Video)
    • rye sourdough starter in a kilner jar.
      Sourdough Rye Starter Complete Guide
    • sliced cured beef bresaola on white plate
      Homemade Cured Beef Bresaola(Video)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Have your say Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Andre

      at

      I like it real hot so used half birds eye and half Serrano peppers. First time fermenting and this was very easy to make because of the clear instructions and good info. Came out even better than than real sriracha sauce

      Reply
    2. Anna

      at

      Really great and simple recipe. It makes a fresh and lively hot sauce. I made it with red Serranos and apple cider vinegar — delicious. I will try it with jalapeños for a less spicy option. It’s nice to watch the colour deepen during the fermentation process.

      Reply
      • Charlé Visser

        at

        Great feedback. Happy you liked it. The wonder of fermentation it's so easily adjustable!

        Reply
    3. Romilla

      at

      Hi this looks the best chillie sauce recipe so far. Just need to adjust the quantity.
      Can u mail me a small quantity recipe please

      Reply
      • Charlé Visser

        at

        You can adjust the servings down in the recipe card for a small batch

        Reply
    4. Eve

      at

      5 stars
      Hi, Charlé! I made a small batch of this a couple weeks ago with a couple Carolina Reaper chillies added to it. It's pretty hot! And it has a wonderful fermented flavour. We love it a lot.

      By the way, my husband and I really enjoyed the pork droewors. They were fantastic! Maybe I'll make your beef ones soon.

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    black and white picture of chef standing against wall

    Hi, I'm Charlé!

    I'm a Professional Chef.

    I believe eating and cooking well attributes majorly to a happy life.

    I am here to teach you how to.

    The best thing is.

    It's free.

    Forever.

    More about me →

    Latest recipes

    • Cold cut turkey deli ham or lunch meat sliced on a wooden board.
      Homemade Turkey Deli Ham - Perfect Cold Cut Lunch meat (video)
    • Traditional South African Tomato bredie in a casserole pan.
      Tomato Bredie - Traditional South African Stew (Video)
    • Burger bun on wooden background.
      Super Soft Burger Buns - Hokkaido Milk Rolls (Video)
    • Black bread kvass in a beer glass on white table.
      Traditional Homemade Bread Kvass (Video)
    • Thai jungle curry in a bowl.
      Authentic Thai Jungle Curry | Kaeng Pa | แกงป่า (Video)
    • thai-red-curry-paste-in-pestle-and-mortar.
      Authentic Thai Red Curry Paste (Video)

    Most popular recipes

    • plated caesar salad on white plate
      Classic Caesar Salad
    • Perfectly cooked bavette steak
      Bavette Steak - What Is It And How To Cook It
    • Individual apple, meat and cabbage Russian piroshki on marble background.
      Traditional Russian Pirozhki (Hand pies) - Complete Guide And Video
    • flaxseed meal sourdough bread cut in half on striped kitchen towel
      Flaxseed Meal Sourdough Bread
    • oven roasted chicken breast with thyme butter
      Juicy Oven Baked Chicken Breast
    • butter chicken in a white bowl
      Authentic Indian Butter Chicken Recipe (Murgh Makhani)
    • crispy pork belly
      Pork Belly Braai | Slow-Roasted Over The Fire
    • stack of barley koji in raku ceramic bowl
      How To Make Koji (Video)
    • cherry tomato pasta in white bowl served on a black napkin with tomato, olive oil, pepper grinder and parsley in the background
      Burst Cherry Tomato, Mozzarella And Parsley Pasta
    • red lentil soup in white bowl
      Red Lentil Soup
    Subscribe

    Useful tools

    shop now page

    My favourite recipes

    • hand holding strips of cured meat on a wooden board
      Ultimate Biltong Recipe - South African Beef Jerky (Video)
    • medium rare ribeye steak cooked in a cast iron skillet sliced on a white plate
      How To Cook A Ribeye Steak Perfectly In A Skillet
    • mashed potatoes in a bowl
      Luxuriously Creamy Mashed Potatoes (Video)
    • chicken fried rice in a bowl
      Perfect Fried Rice
    • salsa verde
      Italian Salsa Verde - The Ultimate Green Sauce
    • Thai spiced beef koftas with sesame, spring onion, soy and lime
      Easy Thai Spiced Beef Koftas
    • Greek salad in white bowl.
      Authentic Greek Salad Recipe
    • semi dried tomatoes in a white container.
      Semi Dried Cherry Tomatoes
    • beef adobo
      Beef Adobo | Famous Filipino Streetfood
    • carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and carrot topping on white plate.
      The Best Carrot Cake Recipe In The World Ever(Video)
    youtube subscribe link

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Legal stuff

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.